Black Hole of Calcutta (contd-2)

The Holwell account :
Holwell wrote an account of the incident in which he claimed that of 146 prisoners, 123 suffocated when imprisoned in the 14ft x18 ft room. His version of events, which was not challenged by other survivors, was widely accepted at the time in Britain.
Sir William Meredith, during the parliamentary inquiry into Robert Clive's actions in India, vindicated Siraj ud-Daulah of any charges surrounding the Black Hole incident.
" It is true , that when he took Calcutta a very lamentable event occurred, I mean the the story of the Black Hole, but that catastrophe can never be attributed to the intention, for it was  without the knowledge of the prince.I remeber a similar incident happening in St. Martin's roundhouse, but it should appear very ridiculous, were I, on that account , to attribute any guilt or imputation of cruelty to the memory of the late king,in whose reign it happened.A peace was however agreed upon with Siraj ud-daulah, and the persons who went as ambassadors to confirm that peace, formed the conspiracy , by which he was deprived of his kingdom and life."
Controversy about Holwell's Account :
Holwell claims that one hundred and twenty three died out of one hundred and forty six held. While his account was not questioned in Britain at the time, other contemporary accounts claimed a larger number and differed on other details such as the room size and whether there was a window. In 1915, British scholar J.H. Little challenged Holwell's claims in his article, "The Black Hole- the question of Holwel's Veracity.", arguing that Holwell was an unreliable witness and his veracity is questionable. Little went so far as to label Holwell's version "a gigantic hoax". Other historians, including Indian scholar Brijen Gupta, disagreed with Little's strong belief, but neverthless downplayed Holwell's account.
The following arguments have been listed against Holwell's account.
Absence of any independent confirmation : It is stated that apart from Holwell' account no other source mentioned such an incident. Historian R.C.Majumdar in his An advance history of India   says that Holwell's story is entirely baseless.

The Black Hole of Calcutta (contd-1)

Certain modern historians believe that some 43 members of the garrison were dead or missing for other reasons. Because so many non-combatants were present in the Fort when it fell, the number who died cannot be stated with any precision. 

The corpses were thrown into a ditch . Holwell and three others were sent as prisoners to Murshidabad, the rest of the survivors obtained their liberty after the victory of a relief expedition under Robert Clive. The Black Hole was later used as a waterhouse, and obelisk, 50ft. high, was erected in memory of the dead.  

The following description are obtained from 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica which portrays Holwell's ponit of view vividly;

The dungeon was a strongly barred room and was not intended for the confinement of more than two or three men at a time. There were only two windows, and a projecting veranda

outside and thick iron bars within impeded the ventilation, while fires raging in different parts of the Fort suggested an atmosphere of further oppressiveness.  The prisoners were packed so tightly that the door was difficult to close.

One of the soldiers stationed in the veranda was offered 1,000 rupees to have them removed to a larger room. He went away, but returned saying it was impossible. The bribe was then doubled, and he made second attempt with a like result, the Nawab was asleep and no one dared wake him.

By nine o'clock several had died, and many more were delirious. A frantic cry for water now became general, and one of the guards, more compassionate than his fellows, caused some to  be brought to the bars, where Mr. Holwell and two or three others received it in their hats, and passed it on to the men behind. In their impatience to secure it nearly all was spilt, and little they drank seemed only to increase their thirst. Self-control was soon lost, those in remote parts of the room struggled to reach the window, and a fearful turnult ensued, in which the weakest were trampled or pressed to death. They raved, fought, prayed, blaspherned, and many then fell exhausted on the floor, where suffocation put an end their torments.

About 11 o'clock the prisoners began to drop off fast. At length, at six in the morning, Siraj-ud-Daulah awoke, and ordered the door to be opened. Of the 146 only 23, including Mr. Holwell remained alive. and they were either stupefied or raving. Fresh air soon received them, and the commander was then taken before the nawab, who expressed no regret for what had occurred, and gave no other sign of sympathy than ordering the Englishman a chair and a glass of water .  Notwithstanding this indifference, Mr. Holwell and some others acquit him of any intention of causing the catastrophe , and ascribe it to the malice of certain inferior officers, but many think this opinion unfounded.            

The Black Hole of Calcutta

The Black Hole of Calcutta was a small dungeon in the old Fort William at Calcutta, India, where troops of the Nawab of Bengal, Siraj Ud-Daullah, held the British prisoners of war after the capture of the Fort on June 19, 1756. Nearly four days of fighting insued, with many British casualities. The prisoners were initially treated well, but after some of them attacked the Nawab's guards, they were confined in a guard room and locked up overnight. This room would become the infamous Black Hole of Calcutta. Accounts differ on whether the Nawab himself or its soldiers initiated the imprisonment. 

Fort William was established to protect the East India Company's trade in the city of Calcutta,  its principal Presidency Town of the Bengal Presidency. In 1756, with a view to the possibility of conflict with French forces, the British began building up the fort's military strength and defences. The Nawab of Bengal, Siraj Ud-Daulah, was unhappy with company's interference in the internal affairs of his province and perceived a threat to its independence.He ordered an immediate stop to the Fort's military enhancement, but the company paid no heed . As a consequence, Siraj organised his army and laid seize to the Fort, whose defenders took many casualities. The Garrison's commander organised an escape and left a token force in the Fort under the command of John Zephaniah Holwell, a one-time military surgeon who was a senior East India Company civil servant. However, desertions by allied troops, mainly, Dutch, made even this temporay defence untenable, and the fort was taken.

The Black Hole of Calcutta, was a 14 by 18 ft room with two small barred windows. The night was hot and there was no water in the room. The guards did provide some water when the prisoners begged for it. According to Holwell's account, some prisoners were akready dead by 9 p.m. and the room was not opened until  6.00 a.m., the next morning.Out of 146 prisoners allegedly confined in the Black Hole of Calcutta, only 23 survived.          

Experiments have tested whether the alleged amount of people confined in the Black Hole could have actually physically fit into a space of those dimensions. Bengal land lord Bholanath Chunder found that much less than 146 of his tenants could fit into a 15 by 18 ft area and Bengal villagers are on average smaller than English soldiers. Holwell's figures would have left each prisoner with only 1.8 sq.ft. A 50 ft. obelisk was erected on the site of the trajedy in honour of the victims , but it was removed to the nearby St. John cemetery in 1940, as Indian nationalists, under the leadership of Subhas Chandra Bose found its implications offensive.

Siraj-ud-Daulah

Siraj-Ud-Daulah was a Mughal ruler who also became the Nawab of Bengal in the 1756 AD. Siraj-ud-Daulah succeeded his maternal grandfather, Alivardi Khan. He was also known as Mirza Muhammad Sirajud Dawla and was considered to be Nawab of Bengal, Bihar and Assam. The start of the British East India Company was marked by the end of his rule over Bengal, and later, the company got hold of all of South Asia. Siraj-Ud-Daullah was also known as 'Sir Roger Dowlett' by several British who were not able to utter the name properly in Hindustani.
The father of Siraj was Zain Ud Din, who was the ruler of Bihar and his mother Amina Begum Nawab Alivardin's youngest daughter. Since Nawab had no son, Siraj Ud Daullah, as the Nawab's grandson, got very close to him and therefore his childhood was regarded by most people as successor to Mutshidabad's throne. He was raised accordingly at the palace of the Nawab with all required training and education necessary for a future Nawab. Young Siraj accompanied Alivardi in the year 1746,  in his military endeavour against the Marathas. In the year 1752, Alivardi Khan officially announced his grandson Siraj-Ud-Daullah as the successor and Crown Prince to the throne, making not a single division in the royal court and the family.
Mirza Muhammad Siraj succeeded Alivardi Khan as the new Nawab of Bengal in the month of April 1756 and he took the name of Siraj-Ud-Daullah. His nomination to the Nawabship triggered the enmity and jealousy of Ghaseti Begum, the eldest daughter of Alivardi, Mirjafar Ali Khan, Raja Rajballav, and Shawkat Jung (the cousin of Siraj). Ghaseti Begum had huge wealth, and that was the source of her strength and influence.Siraj seized her  wealth and kept her in confinement. He offered top post to his favourites , Mir Madan who became the Bakshi(the paymaster of the arrmy) replacing Mir Jafar. Mohanlal was promoted to the rank of peshkar of his Dewan Khana and he had a vital influence in the administration. Lastly, Siraj suppressed Shaukat Jung , who was the governor of Purnea and was also killed in a clash.

Alivardi Khan

Alivardi Khan ascended to the throne of the Nawab of Bengal after his army attacked and captured the capital of Bengal, Murshibad. Alivardi's attitude to the Eurpeans of Bengal is said to be strict. During his wars with the Marathas, he allowed the strengthening of fortifications by the Europeans and the construction of The Maratha Ditch in Calcutta by the British. On the otherhand, he collected large amounts of money from them for the upkeep of his war. He was well-informed of the situation in southern India, where the British and the French had started a proxy war using the local princes and the rulers.     

Alivardi did not wish such a situation to transpire in his province and thus excercised caution in his dealings with the Europeans. However, there was continual friction, the British always complained that they were prevented from the full enjoyment of the farman of 1717 issued by Farrukhsiyar. The British, however, protected subjects of the Nawab, gave passes to native traders to trade custom-free and levied large duties on goods coming to their districts- actions which were detrimental to the Nawab's Revenue.

But Alivardi Khan died in April 1756 and he was succeeeded by his nineteen years old grandson, Siraj-ud-daulah.     

The Battle of Plassey (contd-1)

By the early 18th century, the British East India Company had a strong presence in India with the three main stations of Fort St. George in Madras, Fort William in Calcutta and Bombay Castle in western India. These stations were independent presidencies governed by a President and a council, appointed by the court of England . The British adopted a policy of allying themselves with various princes and Nawabs, promosing security against usurpers and rebels.The Nawabs often gave them concessions in return for the security. By then, all rivalry had also ceased between the English East India Company under Louis XIV and had two important stations in India  - Chandernagar in Bengal and Pondichery on the Carnatic coast, both governed by the presidency of Pondichery. The French were a late comer in Indian  trade, but they quickly established themselves in India and were poised to overtake Britain fot control. 

The war of the Austrian Succession marked the beginning of the power struggle between Britain and France and of European military ascendancy and political intervention in the Indian subcontinent. In Sept. 1746, Mahe de La Bourdonnais landed off Madras with a naval squadron and laid siege to the port city. The defences of Madras were weak and the garrison sustained a bombardment of three days before surrendering. There was disagreement between Bourdonnais and Joseph francois Dupleix, the Governor general of the Indian possessions of the French Govt. At the same time, the Nawab of Carnatic Anwaruddin Muhammed Khan intervened in support of the British and the combined forces and a battle lasted for Pondichery for 31 days and the battle ended with an agreement in 1748 with Madras back to British in return for Louisbourg and Cape Breton Island in North America.

In the meantime Alivardi Khan ascended to the throne of the nawab of Bengal..

Battle of Plassey, 23rd June 1757

Siraj-ud-dullah

The Battle of Plassey , 23 June 1757, was a decisive  victory of the British East India Company rule over the Nawab of Bengal and his French allies. The battle took place at Plassey of Bengal on the river banks of  Bhagirathi, 150 km. from Calcuuta, near Murshidabad.   The battle was preceded by the attack and plunder of Calcutta by Siraj-ud-Daulah and the Black Hole trajedy.The British sent reinforcements under Colonel Robert Clive and Admiral Charles Watson from Madras to Bengal and recaptured Calcutta.  The Clive then took the initiative to capture the French  possession.

This is referring to an event that may have occurred at the Black Hole of Calcutta, which was the name of the converted guard room/holding cell of Fort William in Calcutta, India. After the fort was taken by the Naweb from the British on June 19, 1756, the Naweb held all of the British prisoners of war in this tiny room, during which time most of the prisoners were crushed to death or suffocated. This event's accuracy is dubious, and some believe that it's a tall-tale invented for British propaganda purposes. My source is linked below.